I wanted to share an update of our recent trip to Manaus, Brazil from June 22—July 4th 2017.
The entire team met bright and early at Riverside Community Church Thursday morning June 22nd around 4:30am.
By 5:30am, we were headed to Chicago.
Almost daily, we had a team devotion. Here is the team in the hotel rec room where we held devotions. It was nice hearing / seeing almost every person share a devotion.
We stayed at the Lider Hotel. They offer us a discounted rate because they know Gloria Reynolds (who is in charge of Ray of Hope that we work with). I believe the rooms are around $ 35.00 per night. Not bad! Here is the view from my room.
The hotel is located centrally in the city, allowing the team to walk to some of the important places that we needed to go.
One morning, we were able to visit “Seeds”. “Seeds” was named that because the coaches + ministry teams are trying to plant seeds of hope into the students. This is a ministry event where the children come to get a Bible lesson and also learn how to play soccer. These children are from the very poorest of areas in the city. A few years ago, the city did build some apartment buildings for them to live in. Prior to that, they lived in shanty’s, shacks, or just totally homeless. Houses made out of scraps and garbage. IF you ever feel led to help these kids out, one way to help them is with a donation to provide shoes for them. They play indoor soccer here and shoes are an expense that most families can’t cover. The church helps them with their uniforms. 
We spent a day with Gloria Reynolds ministering in a small village called San Sabation. Their story is very disturbing to me. They lived in the city (in the very poor area) in shanty’s, shacks, etc. The city decided to tear it all down and clear it all out because of the (at that time) upcoming World Cup + Olympics. The city didn’t want the world to see the living conditions of the very poor. These families were taken out into the jungle about 1 hour from Manaus and placed into an area that is so remote, they have very little
opportunity for jobs. They do now trust Gloria, but it has been a long process trying to help / minister to them.
In this community, I didn’t see 1 family that owned a car. I did see 1 family that owned a motorcycle. I can’t imagine being in a situation where I couldn’t provide for my family. The day we showed, there was a lady thanking us because as of earlier that day, she was totally out of food. We brought food care packages for each family. This community is one that Gloria has been ministering very much to. There is so much hurt in them due to the government forcing them to relocate. Their homes were bulldozed with their belongings in them. Please keep San Sebation in your prayers. They are so loved by the Lord. They do not have a church there. They are a people with very little hope. They are coming to know Jesus as Lord, but it’s a slow process. They DO have electricity….and some of them even have a tv. But, it’s a way of escape. Imagine sitting in a shanty with a tv watching the lives of others knowing that you don’t even have running water or a toilet. Electricity is a good thing though and I’m glad they at least have that.
That night, the entire team met the Youth Group from Central Church and did a little street witnessing.
Here is a picture of a time of worship. The river front has been turned into a very beautiful place to go and hang out. This is where the poor people used to live in shanty’s. It’s now a park with fountains and food carts.
Here is the boat that we ALL lived on for 5 days. (I think there were about 35 people total)
Exiting Manaus by water, you are eventually greeted by “The Meeting of the Waters”. This is where the Negro River and the Amazon River run side by side for about 3 miles without mixing together. It’s quite a sight! You’ll notice the Amazon River is a lighter color than the Negro.
The hammocks were loaded up and everyone settled in. It was a little bit of a maze trying to get around at night. During the day, we’d unhook a few of them which were on the outer border.
Our first night on the river, we visited a church and had a service. It was actually pretty neat seeing the families pull up in their boats wearing their Sunday finest. Dads, moms, and kids of all ages travel by river. When we were having service, Pastor Aurino called us up to sing a song for them. (we didn’t know that we were going to sing until that moment!! He totally surprised us!! Hehehehe……but, it went just fine! On the way up, it was decided that we’d sing “Good, Good Father”)
Here is a sunset picture with us in it.
Breakfast in the jungle! Eggs, cooked banana on bread with jelly! Juice….and Tapioca with banana in it.
The next morning, we arrived where the church was at that we were to build. They had already started on the frame and the roof was on. Our task was to finish hanging the exterior boards and also paint in / out. As you can see, there is very little land there. Day one, this was all mud. The new church is quite a bit higher than the old one. The old one was flooded a few years ago and hasn’t been able to be used since. They will tear down the old one and salvage what they can.
Our team worked for 5 days to get this project as completed as possible. A few things will still need to be done, but we’ve given them a MASSIVE head start. They will still screen in the windows, add the front steps, and route some electricity in there.
Here is the church upon our completion.
Our time in the Amazon was certainly not short of challenges. But, at each challenge, we continued to pray and seek the Lord for strength and wisdom. He never fails!!
The pastor who is over this church is Pastor Adema. His story is quite heartbreaking. Their family lost a baby about 1 ½ years ago. Due to the very high waters, they were unable to use the bathroom at their home (which was not actually “in” the home….just outside and the small bathroom building ended up under water. Since they needed a bathroom, Pastor removed a couple of boards from the floor in one of the bedrooms. They always kept the door shut to that room. A horrible tragedy took place one day when their son was watching the baby—-but thought his mom was watching the baby. Pastor Adema had only been out of the room for a few minutes and upon returning realized that the baby was gone. Someone had left the door unlatched and the baby crawled into the bedroom falling into the raging water below. Their son was found a few miles away, but not living. Losing their son was horrible, but the stresses that followed made it almost too much for them to bear. Because of the baby dying, a judge in the city called for an investigation. Pastor Adema was brought by authorities to the city and faced jail time. For about a year, he didn’t know if whether or not he’d have to go to jail. After going through so much, Pastor Adema almost left the ministry. He was so heart broken. So hurt. So broken. He felt so horrible for their son’s death and the thought of jail time made it all even so much worse. Pastor Aurino and Grace ministered to him and knew that this was THE church that RCC was going to build. He now is so full of hope and excitement again. Robyn and I brought gifts for them. Here is a picture of us together with them. All charges have been dropped and they are moving forward in ministry.
The team headed back to the city (8 hours by boat), and settled back into the hotel. Sunday evening, we attended Central Church where our team sang a song for them and I preached a message.
Pastor Aurino and his wife Grace have been friends of ours for 19 years! He is the Senior Pastor at Central Church in Manaus.
The next morning, we visited a very small village called Rouxinol. There are only a few (4 families) families that live here. They were very kind and welcoming. They shared with us stories, song, and dance of how their ancestors gave thanks.
From what I could tell, this small community is now followers/believers in Jesus Christ. Robyn brought a small “Polaroid” type camera and gave all of them pictures of their families. They LOVED getting a picture of themselves. The kids really thought that was neat!
I was asked to teach a lesson and had a few minutes to prepare. So, I grabbed a stick out of the jungle and taught in the dirt.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of a teaching about “Jesus being the bridge to God”.
We left the village and their chief stood by the river bank waving goodbye. I really think he enjoyed our time together. We brought them food, fun, and a time of true fellowship. I think they get lonely in the jungle. People come and go, but other than the few families there, they live in a very small world.
The Amazon is a very beautiful and dangerous place. The waters have strong currents that will carry you away and are filled with fish that will devour you. But, the presence of the Lord is so evident. The Holy Spirit is there to comfort, guide, and encourage. In Manaus, there are over 800 Assemblies of God churches. There are also many in the interior. The interior pastors fight the loneliness. They are miles and miles from the city. Supplies are sparse and money is even more sparse.
That night, we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport.
We eventually loaded up on the jet after a 2 hour delay. We departed around 2:30am.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to invest into the lives of families in the interior of the Amazon. There are SO many stories to share. It would take a novel to capture all of them. This is just a short overview of the trip. I hope you enjoy this update!!!